


Innocence lost

by DevilishCake



Category: Fallout 3
Genre: F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rookie Writes, Slow Burn, Swearing, very slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-02-01 11:47:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12704385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevilishCake/pseuds/DevilishCake
Summary: What will happen when you flee from your current home to save your life just to be thrown in greater danger? Unprepared Helen needs to learn how this new world works and adapts to it. The question is how much of Helen she knew will be left and how long she can carry on on her own.





	1. A whole new world

**Author's Note:**

> First things first: Hello! :) This is my first work here and hope You will enjoy at least a little bit of it. If not, well, thanks for reading, sorry to disappoint. 
> 
> And some WARNINGS: I am not english native speaker. I try my best to make as few mistakes as possible and I know some of you might be annoyed by them. If it will really bother you - dont read, even though I would appreciate any feedback that might help me to become better (please be civilized :D). I tried to avoid loan translation but it is difficult, what can I say.
> 
> So, thats all for now. Let's see If I get an opportunity to continue this story :)  
> Enjoy
> 
> PS: It's a working title

I was sitting on a rocky ground right outside of the Vault. Blinding sunlight made me cover my eyes with my hand and paralyzed me for a few long minutes. This is weird. All is weird. This light, warmer and dare I say, healthier. Not dull and sickening like at home. Much brighter, a trait that my eyes are yet to appreciate. I blinked few times and touched the ground with another hand. So different than smooth, metal floors of vault. I took a handful of dirt in my hand and let the sand slide through my finger. I wiped my hand of blue pants leaving on them a stain and took a deep breath. I smelled nothing, in contrary to vault air full of antiseptic and dust.

When I was able to open my eyes wider, I looked around. View of endless landscape washed out all words from my head. I couldn't reach the end of the ground with my sight. Smaller and taller hills made uneven terrain look more interesting, even with its monotonous colors. But this immense of the surface was overwhelming. I was getting more and more anxious when I realized that this is where I should look for my dad. It is not the vault, with walls and roof that will limit my search to certain spots. My home has a few hideouts and I know most of them. Here? I didn’t even know where to start, what to expect. If surface was as unwelcome and dangerous as Overseer said, finding my father can be close to impossible. There is no corridors, staircases or road signs and even if last ones are, none of them probably says "Your dad went that way". I sighed heavily, raised from my comfy boulder and picked my baseball bat that was lying next to me all this time. I looked behind me at the wooden door that leads out of the cave. So many bodies lies by the vault entrance. Amount of people that back then were unwelcome now might help preventing my home from extinct.  
"See you sooner or later, guys" I said to myself, and with silence as an answer I went down the hill.

~~*~~*~~

Every nerve in Helen's body was screaming to go as far Springvale School as possible. The facade was doing relatively ok, still in one piece, even though whole building looks like it misses few floors and a roof. Helen grabbed baseball bat more firmly, looking at hollow windows as she got closer to the door. With one hand she pushed them a bit, making them move slowly with silent screech. Stepping inside was harder than she thought. The school was first building she had noticed and it was anything but welcome. Amount of cracks in the walls made her questioning the idea of getting inside. But that was not remotely as awful as the inside.

Door had shut behind her. Ray of faint sunlight that was provided by a crack in a door, disappeared leaving her in dim hall. Helen’s eyes quickly get used to limited brightness and she noticed right in front of her huge cage placed in between four pillars, last thing she would have expected in a school hall. Content was even more disturbing, together with mauled bodies hanging on a wall. Helen started breathing rapidly, trying to prevail sudden panic that started to build up inside her. This is bad. No, this is even worse. She had expect some violent and crime on a surface, but how could she be prepared for this. In the Vault there were guards, laws, everyone knew their places and for most of the time there was order. At home nothing would have prepared her for this.

Suddenly rusty BBgun lay uncomfortably on her back and she felt urge to grab it instead of her current weapon. Baseball bat had been leaned on wall, while Helen clutched her hands on gun. She could feel her hand trembling and her wobbly legs barely keep her standing.  
"Get yourself together girl..." Helen whispered to herself and took few steps closer hanging corpses. They were in advance decay process, most of them didn’t have a head and some limbs. Helen lift her eyes up just to see another dead body hanging above her. She averted her sight from empty eye sockets of corpses and prosed deeper inside school, sure that the memory of violated bloody corpses will haunt her for the rest of her life.

She passed another door, trying to make not much noise. So far school seemed abandoned because lack of any sound that would let her know of inhabitants. Silence was intermittent only by her footsteps. Helen entered old classroom, full of damaged desks and chairs. Almost all of them were push by one of the wall, leaving an empty space in the middle of room. On a floor lay some books, with yellow cover, and as she picked one up it turn out to be math textbook. She was looking through textbook for elementary school, remembering how Mr. Brootch was doing his best, trying to put some knowledge into vault kids heads, and she smiled a little bit. Such simple calculations were such a pain back then.

Helen wasn’t sure if she heard rustle behind her, but if it was her imagination it was enough to startled her. She turned quickly, pointing her gun at the door she came through a moment ago. She dropped the textbook, which bang on a floor too loudly for her liking. She took few steps towards the entrance to class, trying to keep her arm steadily, but when a stranger occurred in front of her she felt a hard jerk. Right before he had grabbed Helen’s weapon, the gun fired and the bullet stuck in the wall behind stranger. He seemed to not notice this and with one well – aimed punch he send girl to the floor. Hard flooring met her elbow first, following by back of her head.

“Well, what have we here…” Helen heard amused voice above her. She opened her eyes, but she still saw a black spots and blurred figures. God damn, this guy had some strength in his arm, she was almost sure that half of her face is now sunken.  
“This suit, doesn’t it look familiar?” second to speak was a woman for sure, even though her voice was a little hoarse.  
“Yeah, pick her up” a short command, after which Helen was lifted violently up, and hold back firmly.  
"Nice jacket, girl, mind if I try it on?" She was sure this wasn’t a request, and as confirmation she was stripped of the leather jacket with a snake on the back.  
“Give it back” she growled at the guy, trying to focus sight at him, but loud laugh was all she get for answer.

 


	2. A rough start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, second chapter! That's more than I ever wrote. Yay me! 
> 
> Come, GrammarNazies I have something for you ;)
> 
> Enjoy and sorry for mistakes!

_So pathetic_  Helen thought to herself. One and a half hour out of the Vault, or so she thought, and already she has been held captive by some shady looking group. They didn’t even bother with tying her up, that much of a threat she was for them. With all her might she was trying to not shiver, sitting by the wall of one of still standing rooms, right next to decapitated body, that was lying in pool of its own blood. She was trying to look in other direction but being aware of the dead guy next to her make her really sick. She was swallowing saliva rapidly, trying to overcome nausea.

"Start speaking birdie" a bandit that took her jacket were walking by her, playing with his knife. If he wanted to intimidate her, he didn’t even have to try hard.

"I have already told you everything" Helen wanted to sound tough but even in her own ears it turned out poorly. Her throat was squeezed, so words spoke by her were a bit distorted.

"I doubt that" he crouched in front of her. His hand clenched on her black hair and tug them, forcing Helen to look at him. He didn’t look better than corpses that were lying in the entrance hall, and most of them didn’t have a head. His nose was crooked, teeth broken and hair greasy. A true archetype of dangerous fellow, one that you don’t want to meet at night.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes " he said slowly, inspecting carefully Helen's face. He dropped his combat knife and cared her face with the back of his hand. The same side, he slapped some time ago. Helen still have felt the heat coming from her cheek, and his touch was very unpleasant.

"So smooth and fair". Wicked smile disappeared from his face, as he focused at her whole body. She started to feel weirdly exposed in her blue jumpsuit. It might not been very tight but still somehow it emphasized her body features more than ever.  
Suddenly, few gunshots came to her ears, making her flinch a little bit. A smirk showed up on stranger's dirty face, and Helen mentally kicked herself for showing him weakness.  
A woman stormed into the room, grabbing the man by his arm. Helen shifted her focus at her, at her hair to be precise. She looked like she had a spikes coming out of head and for a second there vault girl was really intrigued, why would someone do themselves something so ugly. Helen just assumed this woman wasn’t really pretty to begin with. When their eyes met, shiver run through Helen’s spine and when the stranger spat on a floor, she thought that they mutually don’t have pleasant opinions about each other.  
"Come Zipp, those fucking ants found their way inside again"

Bandit cursed and sprang up to his feet. Helen's hair fell down around her face, covering it like a curtain, and she gently let out a sigh, thankful that his hand disappear from her face. Annoyed grimace appeared on his face and Zipp looked at Helen from above. He didn’t say a word, was just staring, frustrated. When he moved, in a matter of 3 seconds he was by his acquaintance who was sleeping in the corner at some old, dirty mattress. He grabbed lying guy by a collar and slapped him hastily with open hand. Helen swallowed thickly when his hand met other’s face.

"Watch her" he ordered barely awake guy and looked back at Helen. "Don’t do anything stupid girl or I’m done playing gentleman."

She didn’t move or rise her head at all but this Zipp guy wasn’t waiting for it. She has been left with drunk, who hardly was able to sit up. Helen looked up at him, but he remained on a mattress with his head hung low. She was almost certain the guy is dead but wasn’t curious enough to check it herself. Zipp left by her a present, even if he didn’t mean to. His combat knife was lying there, in front of her, waiting for her to take. She clasped her hand on a handle and started pulling it slowly towards herself. Helen had her eyes glued to her only guard, prepared to swift knife fast if he makes any kind of movement. Still nothing.

Helen didn’t have time to wait. She felt it was her chance so she rose herself up, and stayed still for a moment, her eyes drifting from the bandit to the door and back. Helen felt her whole body was quivering. For a couple of past minutes she was barely breathing, and now she allowed herself to take a proper deep breath. She felt a slight acidic smell lingering in the air, but she didn’t want to know its source. She leaned slightly on a wall, trying to gain control over her trembling legs. That’s not how she planned starting her exploration. In this few hours she realized why the Overseer was trying so hard to keep the Vault sealed, even if she didn’t approve this idea.  
She hid a knife behind her back as she was moving towards exit of the room

"What the hell you think you're doing?" stranger wasn’t as dead as Helen hoped for. She was so preoccupied with avoiding garbage on a floor to not make a noise that she wasn’t aware of his gaze.

"What does it look like?" she spat words automatically. She wasn’t sure if that was boldness or just plain stupidity, but she didn’t feel brave at all.

"Sit your ass down, lass, I'm not going to... repeat myself" he stands up. In her opinion, the guy would be more persuasive if he wasn’t swaying so much. She chose to ignore him and to his annoyance, Helen kept moving forward.

"You deaf or what?" he raised his drunken voice, stumbling towards her. Helen was astonished that he was able to collect himself enough to actually stand up, even if a little bit unsteadily. She wasn’t close enough to get to corridor but she decided to make a run for it. Bandit was probably waiting for her move, because he leaped forward to her, pushing her heavily onto a wall and Helen swung her arm blindly. He roared, burying his fingers in girls arm and making her squirm.

"You fuckin'...!" he held his hand over left eye, glancing furiously at Helen. Blood started dripping more and more through his dirty fingers. Vault girl yanked her hand out of his grip, feeling him scratching her through suit. Bandit haven't gave up, he jumped on her, sweeping her from her feet. She hit her head over cracked school flooring with a dull thud. Adrenaline was rushing through her veins, enhancing buzzing in her ears, and Helen was sure that her head will explode before drunkard manages to kill her. Pain pierced Helen's left arm as he pushed her to the ground so she couldn't move.

"You will be sorry" he placed himself over Helen's hips and leaned over, so he could whisper ominously in her ear. His disgusting breath made her sick, to the point she needed to try really hard not to puke. He straighten up and started looking around barely able to focus at any anything. For him, the floor was moving and slipping from underneath his feet all the time.

"Where- " he didn't finish. Couldn't have. The same blade as before this time slit his throat. Helen's left arm covered with warm blood as it squirted abundantly from the wound. His hands darted quickly to his gaping throat, trying to stop bleeding, but the look in his eyes told Helen that he was aware of his condition. She started crawling away from him however he grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards him, but she didn't give up. Supporting on her arms, she still wasn't able to shake of his hand, even with vicious kick. When bandit take out a gun her heart almost stopped. She kicked him again, making him lost his balance. When the gun fired, vault girl froze and closed her eyes, awaiting for pain, but it never came. Bullet got stuck in the ceiling, as the stranger had difficulties with proper aim.

She grabbed it and aim quickly at her attacker, but he wasn't trying to fire again. He was just lying there, from his throat keeps escaping gurgling noise. Helen saw strength leaving his body rapidly, as he was trying to hold his head above the ground. Vault girl was sure that he won’t shoot no one anymore. She sat heavily on a wobbly stool, which was standing next to a table. Helen felt like the stranger wasn’t only person that has no energy left. She was holding rifle tightly, like the biggest treasure in her life. She was wondering if she really would shoot another person. Helen glanced at her covered in blood hands, and a sad chuckle escaped her mouth. Of course. She just murdered a guy, what's the difference which weapon she used. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a knife that was lying near her victim and a shiver shake up her body as she was trying to not sob.  
“Good job, girl” she said cynically to herself while getting up. She need to get out of here and with her guard dead the way was open. She took a backpack, which was lying under the table and threw anything from top of it to the bag. While leaving she picked up her new, bloody combat knife.

She came running to the Red Rocket sign and a wave of nausea washed over Helen. Top half of her suit was soaked in crimson blood, and accompanying sweet and metallic smell made her sick. She started vomiting but her empty stomach didn’t have much to get rid of. As she done, she sat on a mask of car wreck and felt really tired. Tears came to her eyes and she started to sob violently. Her loud weep tore apart surrounding silence. She just realized how scared she was a moment ago and her helpless situation overwhelmed her. Helen never felt this lonely in her entire life. Tears came to her eyes and she started to sob violently. Her loud weep tore apart surrounding silence. She just realized how scared she was a moment ago and her helpless situation overwhelmed her. Helen had never been this lonely in her entire life. Moreover, she just deprived a man of his life and being aware of this hadn't made her feel any better.  
I took her a quarter of an hour to calm down and suddenly, she felt 20 years older.

 


	3. Welcome to...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We all know Charon, BUT I want you to get to know Helen too.   
> And hey, She MAY get to Underworld in next millennium. Better late than never!
> 
> Enjoy!

A huge metal wall rose in front of Helen as she stumble through the wastes. She cautiously came closer, not knowing what to expect. It was safer to assume that nothing good awaits her in there. She overheard some distorted voice not far away from her, although she couldn’t make a single word out of the sound. As she was moving closer she heard not only voice. Now it was accompanied by regular stomping, and few steps later she noticed a robot walking around.

A sloppy yellow writing caught her eyes as she stand near robot. “Megaton”.

“Welcome to Megaton” was what the robot keep saying.  He ended the sentence and what looked like a plane engine to Helen started running. Metal pieces parted and she saw inner gate made out of rusty chunks of sheet metal.

“Head on in, partner” said robot behind her, and Helen felt weirdly encouraged by his programmed words. She took a deep breath and pushed provisional door. Megaton turned out to be a town not only fortified with sheet metal but purely made out of it. Walls, houses, platforms and stair was built mostly out of this one material, interspersed with long pipelines running through whole settlement. Helen whistled, impressed by its unconventional architecture.

“I'll be damned, you're from that vault, Vault 101. I ain't seen one of those jumpsuits in a long time” a chuckle caught her attention and Helen focused her eyes at the owner of the voice. A middle - aged man with cowboy hat stood in front of her with a smile lingering on his lips, which decreased as he looked closer at her bloody jumpsuit.

“Name's Lucas Simms, town sheriff. And mayor too. You okay there, girl?”

“It’s not mine” Helen referred to the dried blood that soaked in the fabric and noticed her mistake, as the man’s eyebrow raised. “But, wait… you **have seen** this jumpsuit? With 101? When?”

“Long, long time ago “ he spoke slowly, but continued as he saw her discouraged face “That’s not what you wanted to hear.”

“I’m looking for my dad, thought maybe you've seen him. Too bad I guess…” Helen send him a faint, short smile. That would be too easy.

“Actually, I do remember a stranger coming through here. Don’t know the details though. You’ll need to ask Moriarty at the saloon. Just watch yourself. That man's trouble. Might need some caps too”

„I appreciate it, Sheriff. Thank you”. Simms nodded with his hat. “One thing… what’s caps are you talking about?”

The amount of information that Simms flooded Helen made her dizzy. Apparently, caps are in force currency in the Westland, there is a bomb in the middle of a settlement, and an armed one to that, the numbers of monstrosities outside of the walls goes through the roof and D.C. is a war zone. After short lecture from Sheriff, Helen wanted to laugh maniacally and rip hair out of her head. Her chances for finding her father were pretty low, but she felt like in the light of this new pieces of information they dropped below zero.

She raised from the chair and went to the bathroom. Simms let her stay for the night and even borrow some clothes after his deceased wife. It wasn’t especially appealing to her, wearing dead woman outfits, but she needed to get rid of the crimson stains from her vault suit. Wearing someone else’s clothes was still better than going in underwear. But still, it may bring unwanted memories to the Mayor and Helen would prefer to avoid it. 

When she ran out of hot water and a cold one started to be unbearably unpleasant, Helen finally get out of the shower with tiny bit sense of guilt. With towel on her shoulders, Vault girl placed herself on a couch in a center part of the house, where ugly brown blanket and flat pillow was waiting for her. While having a moment for herself and being relatively safe Helen took opportunity to listen to the tape she swiped from the Vault.

Helen pursed her lips to the sound of Jonas’ voice and paused the recording. He was addressing her father with calm but urging tone and she realized those are last words that she is going to ever hear from him. Tears burned under her eyelids, but she hadn’t let them slip out.

I hate you so much, Overseer – she thought to herself trying to push a memory of his smirking face away.

Before starting tape once more, Helen took a deep breath, trying to prepare for what she is going to hear.

“I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry…”

Recording stopped with double beep at the end. Helen was sitting in same spot for past 5 minutes, suddenly too tired to even think. She yanked herself to sit properly when a little silhouette appeared in her view.

“Um… hello?” the child spoke up from top of the stair. “You must be that lady my dad talked about. I’m Harden”

“Yea, hi. My name’s Helen. Nice to meet you, Harden” Helen smiled to the boy.

“That’s my favorite blanket. Don’t get used to it”

“Sure, thanks for lending it to me” she looked at brown fabric, taking it in her two fingers. It was thick, probably good at keeping warmth but Helen couldn’t help feeling that the material will scratch exposed skin of her arms. 

At night time every settler in Megaton headed either home, common house or Moriarty’s. Lucas Simms belonged to the first group. It was two, maybe three hours from when he left Helen in his house and when he entered the place he noticed, to his pleasure, his son and newcomer chatting along. The vault girl looked more relaxed than before. She sat at the couch with her legs crossed, her arms slumped down as she leaned her back over seat, listening to Harden’s story with faint smile. Simms got a feeling she is a good kid, glad that for now he hadn’t regretted inviting her over.

“Who’s hungry?” Simms asked, interrupting them. Their surprised look told him that they hadn’t even acknowledged his presence.

~*~*~

No matter how long Helen was staring at metal ceiling or how tired she was, sleep never came. Covering turned out not half as bad as he assumed and with proper position she was able to avoid some worn – out springs from couch. But every time she almost lose connections with reality her mind drew up images of her murder. Is that what she is now? A murderer?

Commotion from the kitchen caught her attention and when she glanced towards it, she noticed Harden coming her way with red mug with jagged edge.

“Careful, it’s hot”

Helen grabbed mug by the handle looking inside. Steam felt warm on her face but the smell wasn’t promising in her opinion.

“What’s this?” she tried to not look ungrateful.

“Warm brahmin milk” he stated, all proud of himself. “Dad gives it to me sometimes, when I can’t fall asleep”

Helen thank him and gently blew at the surface of milk to take a little sip. It wasn’t that hot so she took a bigger swig. Milk from the Vault tasted like a slightly sour water with two drops of white paint.  The one that she get from Harden was thicker, smoother and much tastier even considering its smell. Warmth spilled over her entire body, and she couldn’t tell if this is because warm beverage or sweet gesture of newly known boy. Either way she felt touched and grateful. Harden and Lucas hospitality made Helen mood boost and she swore to herself that she is going to repay them fully. She hadn’t feel so hopeless now, knowing that there are good people outside of Vault. Her first encounter wasn’t a good one but definitely gave her a valuable lesson.

~*~*~

Next day Helen searched through the backpack she had stolen from visited devastated school. The material was a bit worn out, had some discolorations but was in quite good condition. She opened upper flap and loosened up strings. One by one she was taking out things from backpack and was putting them on her temporary bed.  She drew out three stimpaks, two packs of .38 caliber round ammunition with few bullet lying loosely in the bag, an inhaler, bottle of murky water, pack of stale cigarettes, handful of bobby pins, equally 28 bottle caps and, what she was happy about the most, basic first aid kit. Such a responsible raiders, as Helen had been told, that’s what they call them.  She compared bullets from her hunting rifle to the one from backpack and smiled when they was identical. Caps found themselves in pocket of her dungarees with few bobby pins and gun over her shoulder. Time to pay a visit to Moriarty’s tabernacle.

Simms stopped Helen before entering by laying hand on her shoulder.

“One last thing, kid. The Bartender… he is a nice guys despite his looks, got it?”

Helen raised an eyebrow, not really getting the message mayor was trying to send.

“Sure… what about it?”

“Just be ready” right corner of Simms lips twitched upward. “And don’t give him hell. He has enough.”

After crossing a door to the saloon, she regretted that Simms wasn't more specific about this whole “despite his looks” thing, because her jaw dropped to the floor and she had difficult time founding it. And she knew that staring is rude.


	4. Partners in crime

She was expecting something odd, like lack of an eye, weird hairstyle or some hideous outfit. But Lucas warning hadn't prepared her for the sight. As soon as she stepped inside, words stopped making sense to her, being just an ambient noise.   
It took her a minute or so to realize she was standing by the half open door, with her mouth open as if her brain was somehow damaged. She collected herself a bit too late, and when she did, she left the saloon in record time.             

What in seven hells? This man... was it a man? Helen couldn’t really tell. Her mind wasn’t able to process what her eyes were seeing. For a moment there she thought that she didn’t get enough sleep last night. Maybe she was sleepwalking? Her dad told her once about her habit of strolling during nighttime, but she was 10 back then. Or was that brahmin milk side effect? She would need to ask Harden when she meets him. 

And so Helen was standing there, lying against the door to the saloon.  _You got this, girl._ Helen motivated herself and patted her chicks with open hands to focus. After a deep breath or two or ten she decided to step inside, trying to act like an adult. She cleared her throat, but before she was able to speak she was greeted.

"Hello.... Um, Welcome to Moriarty's. Do you want anything to drink?"

“Hi” she answer hesitantly, approaching a stool standing by the bar. “ Sorry but, happened to you?”

Helen felt urge to get to know about him. It was such great need, that she was almost sure she would burst if she didn’t ask. This person’s skin was in a terrible condition, missing in more than a few places, exactly like his hair. He looked like huge chunks of his skin flaked, showing blue veins and pinkish muscles underneath. Whatever happened to him, was horrendous and probably agonizing.

 Vault girl was scanning his face with her eyes hungrily, eventually noticing his troubled expression. 

“What, never seen a ghoul before?”

“No, actually no” Helen shifted in her seat, lying elbows on a bar to get slightly closer to bartender.

“So what’s ghoul?”

“You become a ghoul when a nuclear blast hits you or you are exposed to radiation for too long”

“You **become** ghoul? You weren’t born this way?”

“Were you living under a rock or what, smoothskin?” The bartender frown, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Don’t call me smoothskin, you can try ‘Helen’ instead”

Ghoul nodded with his head, accepting her words. Helen felt that he wanted to end the conversation by all cost. His whole body was saying “back off and let me work”. His distinctiveness however somehow made her intrigued by his person, so she wasn’t really put off by his cold tone.

“And **his** name is **Gob** , and he is not very good at meeting new people” a woman with short red hair spoke up near Helen. The woman wasn't looking in her direction. Instead, she gave Gob a scolding look, but corner of her mouth were slightly raised.

“Oh, and I’m Nova” she added.

“Yeah… I’m Gob” he murmured, clutching some old dishrag. “Sorry for that, please don’t hit me or anything”

“What? Why would I?” Helen tried to smile at him encouragingly, but Gob didn’t look any better.

“No? That’s a welcomed change. I'm used to every asshole smoothskin in this town giving me shit just because I look like a corpse.”

“Well, I’m not one of those assholes” Helen leaned towards the bartender with her arm stretched towards him. “Pleasure to meet you, Gob”

 

~*~*~

 

From the brief conversation with Gob and Nova, Helen found out that her father was indeed in Megaton some time ago, but none of saloon visitors knew what was his next destination. None, beside Moriarty himself, that is, and the owner hadn’t planned to give up on easy gain.

“He wants caps” Helen looked like a deflated balloon, almost lying on a bar. “I barely have any of them”

“That’s sounds like him” Gob was somehow even more bummed about this, than she was. The bartender looked around and over his shoulder. Seeing no danger on a horizon he came near vault girl. “But he has terminal at the rear. He dedicates a lot of his time to this damn thing. Ask Nova, she might help”  
Girl’s eyes lighten up with new hope and she grabbed both of Gob hands in hers, and squeezed them.

“Thank you very much” she said, and quickly headed towards Nova, who was getting down from second floor. Helen glanced at her, noticing her skimpy outfit and ripped pantyhose.

“Looking's free. Everything else will cost you” Nova laughed, seeing Helen’s bewildered expression.

“How much will cost getting into Moriarty’s terminal?” playfulness disappeared from Nova’s face and Helen noticed as she swallowed heavily and her eyes darted towards bar.

“You already know about it, I can’t help you more”

“Nova please, it means a lot to me. I know you are not really a fan of Moriarty…”“I’m not fan of getting a bullet through my brain either “ woman snapped at Helen. “You’re cute sweetheart, but not **that** cute”

 Her movements were rapid. She was fixing her hair with trembling hands, like she needed to do something with her.

“You’re right… I shouldn’t have ask you” Helen smiled conciliatory to her, taking a step back. “Sorry to bother”

Nova didn’t bother with answer. She glued her eyes to destroyed flooring of the bar, making it clear to Helen that this talk is over.

 

~*~*~

 

For next few hours Helen got to know a few inhabitants of Megaton, ate some noodles that were unexpectedly tasty, and even help Walter fixing some leaks in all that pipes that was running through the town which allowed her to pay Moriarty. The thing was, after talking to the guy, with Nova and Gob, she didn’t really wanted to. Thanks to her roam around Megaton, she found another door leading towards saloon. Gentle tug to a knob made her new plan a little bit more complicated, but she wasn’t expecting anything less.

By the evening bar was getting more crowded, but there was still plenty of space. As Helen stepped inside, Nova immediately noticed her and came to her with bright wide smile and open arms.

“I’m deeply sorry for my behavior earlier” she said loudly, and hugged unprepared Helen. Vault girl kept her hands in the air, not sure what was she expected to do.

“Password is “lotsacaps”. Do what you have to, I will keep him busy” Nova whispered in Helen’s ear and then let her go, with same fake smile still on prostitute’s lips. “Hope you aren’t mad at me?”  
“Of course not. How could I!” Helen chirped.

Vault girl tried to look as innocent as possible, so instead of pacing around the bar as she was doing so far, she sat in the last bar stool being madly interested in her pip-boy. The bartender cleared his throat with what he grabbed Helen’s attention. Nova must have had fill Gob in, because he nodded towards back office when nobody was watching. Nervousness and excitement were buzzing in her belly, as she slide off the stool and start slinking behind Gob. Couple seconds later she found herself in small, dark office, hidden from eyes of all guests and, what’s more important, Moriarty’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for my first kudos and comments EVER!  
> The email with notification really brighten my day.  
> I am really grateful and, once more, thank you for reading my work. 
> 
> And, well, guess who will be in next chapter... :) I personally can't wait.


	5. Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not much, but I hope it's enough! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Getting into the terminal was easy thanks to password Nova gave her. “Moriarty’s property only” sounded the welcoming message. Helen smirked. _Not anymore, apparently._

Moriarty had neatly segregated all his knowledge about other settlers and not only them. One of folders applied to her father and it was first she chose. Her heart started beating harder when she read “James (Vault 101)”. A little progress. This gave her new energy boost she needed since escaping Vault.

She bit her lower lip, looking towards office entrance. She wasn’t sure how much time she had, but her curiosity won over her and she started looking through other files. Out of all names Helen had questionable pleasure to meet only Jericho, when he made her indecent proposition which she had to refuse. 

Breaking glass and Moriarty’s yell stopped Helen from reading. She sprang to her feet and rushed to the door behind a chair she was sitting at. With prepared bobby pins, she crouched by the lock. It wasn’t her first time picking a lock, not even tenth. There was no door in the Vault she hadn’t open. Few twist later and she was good to go using her newly made exit.

For Helen it was some kind of hobby, entering rooms she wasn’t allowed, like screening room or computer lab. Few times she stole Wally’s Grognak the Barbarian from his desk in Mr. Brotch class and left it in some different places like in front of Mack's door, just to make sure he will find his comic book. After a month Wally was sure the Vault was haunted. Eventually, Butch caught her during one of her nightly visits to the screening room and became her companion since. He definitively was an asshole, but not as huge as he seemed to Helen previously, and she had to admit his crude jokes were even funny.  Most of the time.

Vault girl closed the door behind her without making any sound. Mission accomplished, she knew her next goal is getting to Galaxy News Radio, wherever that is in this forgotten land. Helen sat on the ruined white couch by the Common House. One of the sentences was especially echoing in her brain. Moriarty’s note said that her dad came to his saloon twenty years ago and with a baby in his arms to that. There was no logic in that. They were from the Vault, right? No one ever left it, until now at least. That’s what everybody was telling her entire life. Helen always knew that Overseer was a lying piece of shit, but never realized on how large-scale.

Tired sigh tore out of her as she lifted her arm to look at Pip-Boy, which was surprisingly heavy all of sudden. Helen opened a map on her little computer device. It was showing large empty black and green image of surrounding ground with only Vault 101 marked by default. She zoomed out the map, wondering how far Galaxy News Radio is and how much time she had already wasted.

 

~~*~~*~~

Her next day started by thanking Gob and Nova for sticking their necks for some strange girl. Even before entering the saloon, Helen heard loud banging and ghoul’s angry voice.

“Why... won't... you... work?!” greeted her, as she came closer.

“I told you Gob, it ain't the radio. The Enclave station comes in fine. It's Galaxy News. Their signal's been shit lately” Nova leaned against the bar. With an annoyed look on her face, she observed Gob’s effort to reduce static in the radio. Ghoul hit wooden radio case once more but Nova just rolled her eyes without any more comment.

“Let me look at this. I might help” 

Nova’s eyebrow rose slightly when she looked at Helen. Apparently, she was 100% sure the radio is working correctly. 

“Would you?” Gob wasn’t waiting for an answer, as he pulled out screwdriver her way.  

Helen grabbed its plastic red handle and shrug her shoulders.

“I’m not the best, but I fixed my Pip-Boy before” she shook her arm in front of Gob’s face and pulled radio towards her. Soon enough it turned out that few loose screws and some dirt were its only ailments.

“Well,” Helen blew gently at the wires and rising dust tickled her nose. “It’s either beyond me or all is fine”

“I’VE BEEN TELLING YOU!” angry yell reached them from upstairs.

As Helen she was putting screws in their places, she began to wonder, if GNR sudden lack of signal may portend troubles. The thought laid heavily on her stomach, making her feel as if she swallowed a handful of stones. She just hoped it won't be a dead end because she had nothing other to follow up.

~~*~~*~~

The owner of “Craterside Supply” was loud and energetic, and Helen was sure her chirping voice will make her head hurt but Vaultie had to admit that Moira was easy to be around.  She, of course, didn’t see Helen’s father, although she met another vault 101 dweller around 10 years ago. A young girl that had no clue about Westlands nor survival. Sound awfully familiar to Helen and Moira's words got her thinking. She was probably equally inexperienced and her knowledge about Wastes was close to zero. Helen cheer herself up that at least she knows how to hold and shoot BBgun. Not that radroaches were demanding opponents or anything. Simms provided some pieces of information last evening, but she was skeptical this would be enough. Word "super mutant" alone made her palms sweaty.

"How about you give me this suit, let’s say as a token of trust, and I will help you with your book?" Helen nodded her head towards a piece of clothing hanging behind Moira.

"But of course!" she squeaked, recovering the suit from the wall. "It's in my best interest to keep my researcher alive."

Moira dropped the suit on a table in front of her with voiceless ‘Ta-dah!’. Helen grabbed it by a collar and rise it a bit. Well-known yellow 101 was written at the back of the suit.

_So someone escaped vault earlier as well._ Everything indicated that Moira’s words were true and if so, did Helen knew that girl? Why did she escape the Vault? She couldn’t think of anyone at that moment.  

"Thank you" Helen send Moira a warm smile. "I bet this will come in handy"

"I hope! Tell me how it performed, after you return from your first stop."

"Which is?" Helen slung her newish suit over her arm.

"Super-duper Mart"

The Mart was one-stored flat building, looking like overgrow matchbox with a fence. Helen squeezed stock of her "new" hunting rifle, which was a bit pimped up thanks to Moira, and started walking down the hill. Her plan contained getting in, stealthily if God allows, checking for food and medications, getting out, being alive after this little escapade and heading to GNR.

First, think that caught her eye was a wrecked car that was lacking his original paint in many spots. What was more intriguing was a huge ant standing near it. Even though between her and insect was fence she approached it cautiously. Giant ant moved her mouth and its head turned towards vault girl. It either saw or maybe smelled Helen's presence and decided to move towards her. Helen yanked her hunting rifle up, aiming at the insect. Years of shooting radroaches made her grip quite steady, even now with never used before gun. 

First shot hit the target, but giant ant only squelched and kept trying to bite through the fence. Second one must have damaged insect’s brain which caused ant legs to give up under its weight. In Helen’s mind appeared thought, that ants aren’t the worst enemies she will meet but at least she didn’t have second thought about killing them. She went around and found herself at the former parking lot with broken concrete, mockup cars and destroyed lamp posts. That’s how the world looked like now – devastated and hostile. While heading towards mart entrance, she noticed another dead giant ant and killed riders. Served them right.

Inside the mall was dim due to windows being covered with old planks or dirty beyond imagination. Helen stepped inside, noticing flickering fatigued Nuka - Cola machine. Surprisingly, it was still working. Helen got low as she entered the main room. There were lots of rubbish scattered across the floor, cans and papers, even metal cans just waiting for Helen to trip over them. At first glance, the old shop looked abandoned but as she was making her way inside she espied two of who know how many riders. She stopped by the wall in the corridor leading to toilets. One of the riders was patrolling the interior from the top of shelves connected with a plank to one another.

“I know, this guy is doing his job poorly…” words sounded by her ear, making her heart to stop. Apparently, one of the gang members was in one of the rooms behind her.

_Good job, Helen._

She turned her head slowly towards man. He was crouching next to Helen, with his eyes fixed at patrolling rider.

“Tsk, tsk, look at him. He hadn’t even spotted you yet. Fuckin’ moron, amirite?” Stranger must have felt girl’s gaze at him, and focused on her, waiting for some reaction from her site.

So much for the stealthy job.

 

~*~*~

_Hide!_ her instinct was screaming, as she was dashing in between shelves. Its wood was thin, easily penetrable for almost every bullet shot her way. Thankfully, none had reached her. For now. The knife in her hand was sticky from the blood of her first victim. Somehow she managed to activate Protectron from the backroom, which took care of most of riders before exploding in the rain of sparks. Soon enough another group came to the mart, alarmed after discovering the first body.

Helen noticed closed door on the opposite side and driven with new adrenaline rush she ran towards them, hoping for an alternative way out.

“Stop running away, bitch!” She looked behind her at the same time she reached the door. Not thinking much, she yanked them and charges into the room. It wasn’t much of the room, as one of the walls was short, providing minimal protection. What more important, it wasn’t empty. Helen yelped startled and landed on her butt as her legs couldn’t keep up when her brain ordered them to retreat. An unknown person turned around to the sound of commotion and her short high yell. Tall ghoul was towering over her, carrying unpleasantly looking shotgun. She had no experience with their kind, but Gob wasn’t particularly outstanding apart from his skin condition. This person in front of her had cocksure look in his eyes and to Helen just his presence was intimidating.  The girl hid her head in her arms when he loaded his weapon and began to aim. Bang resounded around her but a pain she was waiting for never came. Instead of this, unpleasant gurgling reached her ears and she uncovered her eyes just to notice rider falling to the ground with a horrendous wound in his chest.

“Go home” husky voice grabbed girl’s attention. He crossed his gaze with Helen’s for a longer second and passed her, leaving her lying on the ground.

Helen wiped wetness that gathered under her eyelids with back of her hand. He hadn’t killed her. Wasn’t even hostile towards her. Too bad he didn’t know she had no home at the very moment. Helen swallowed heavily, getting up from a floor and went after the ghoul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have installed a program to check my grammar and punctuaction etc. etc., hoping it will help me avoid some mistakes at least a little. It's free version and when it says, "found additional 35(!) writing issues" it's a bit demotivating. Oh well...
> 
> Thank you for reading and as always sorry for all the mistakes I wasn't able to spot. 
> 
> See you later!


	6. Desperate times call for desperate measures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was few awfully tiresome months for me, but I managed to write a new chapter (finally...!).
> 
> I tried grammar checkers to make this part with minimal mistakes, although there is still some (sorry for that).
> 
> Enjoy!

Before Helen managed to gather food and medicine in the Mart, she hadn't had the ghoul in her eyesight anymore. A heavy sigh she let lifted few strands of her hair. Maybe he wasn't particularly friendly, but at least he hadn't shot her right then and there. Helen thought of the possibility that he hadn't seen her as a threat and decided to save some ammo. Helen wiped her face with the hand, another one rested on her hip. She had to move solo, just as planned originally.

Before heading to GNR, Helen took out wet cloth from her backpack and thoroughly wiped the blood out of her hand and combat knife. Even looking at the crimson liquid made her sick, which was unusual for her, considering her being James’ helper in the Vault.  

Getting her weapon clean kept her so occupied, she wasn’t aware of the incoming danger. With the corner of her eyes, she noticed a shadow moving rapidly towards her, second too late. Her body reaction wasn’t enough to avoid a creature that in a matter of seconds got to her. It wasn’t a scream, it was yowl. A vicious dog clenched his maws on the tender flesh of her arm. The strength and speed of the attack send her to her right knee. Helen leaned her hand on a ground, preventing dog to get her lying completely. She delivered a blow on the dog’s nose, and the clutch of his maws had abated but Helen’s arm still was trapped between his sharp teeth. 

_There is no other way and you know it._

Helen clenched her teeth and swung her left arm, burying blade deep into the top of dog’s head. With a painful whimper, his jaws released her, and the dead animal went limp on the ground with the knife sticking out of his head. Vaultie was panting loudly as she was trying to stand straight. The hideous wound on her arm pushed her on the edge of panic.

“Oh no… no, no, no” Helen grabbed her bag and rushed back inside the shop. Suit sleeve was torn and soaked with her blood, that kept dripping on the floor leaving a trail behind her. She hadn’t felt much of a pain yet, adrenalin had prevented it effectively but it was only matter of time. She got to the back of the mart where now empty robot capsule was located. In between shelves, metal boxes and cans she noticed doctor’s bag earlier.

It was still there, much to her contentment. Stitches. She needed them desperately right now. Helen dumped both bags on the counter by the empty pod and went through medical supplies. There wasn’t much there, some surgical tubing, bandages that would come in handy, forceps, even a teddy bear for some reason. With trembling hands, she threw everything on the counter and her heart got heavy when she noticed that dental floss and a needle are going to be her suture material. Pip-Boy landed next to the bag, throwing familiar cool light at her bleeding arm. Helen injected two stimpaks before treatment, one above bitemark, second near the wrist, deeply saddened by lack of Med-X. Her brain started to receive first waves of pulsating pain and she knew it will only get worse.

She heard a rustle behind her and her healthy arm reached for lying near hunting rifle. Helen tried to aim steadily towards doors but holding rifle by the handle with just one hand wasn’t the easiest task for her right now.

“Don’t sh-“ words were deafened by the shot, although Helen missed miserably and the bullet bounced from the flooring. “Fuck, woman, calm down.”

“Don’t come!” Helen wasn’t able to maintain her emotions. The intruder was taking precious seconds she needed to clean the wound. Her whole body showed nervousness: sweat coming at her forehead, shaking hands and panic in her voice.

“I'm unarmed” stranger's both ruined arms showed up from behind the wall and soon after rest of his body followed, hardly fitting in the door frame.

The Ghoul stepped inside carefully. He had to be sure Helen won’t pull the trigger, at least not in his way, because she barely had strength left to keep her up straight. He didn’t pay her a lot of attention, as he began searching through the room, moving boxes and other junk. With the corner of his eyes, he had been seeing Helen following his every move, lowering her rifle at some point, as her muscles got tired.

She couldn’t wait more so her gun landed on the floor. If he wanted to kill, she probably would be dropped dead by now. Either way, she was defenseless. Helen found some vodka lying around and unscrew the bottle, holding it between her legs so she could get a proper grip on the cap. The girl released a muffled whimper when some alcohol touched her damaged skin. She buried her fingers in her forearm until they became white at its ends. Unfortunately, her pain endurance wasn’t as high as she hoped for. Helen felt a sting at her so suddenly, she didn’t have time to make any sound. She was so focused on the dog bite, she hadn’t noticed when the Ghoul came to her and dig a needle in her body.

“What…?”

 “Med- x. Looks like you need one” he caught her eyes for a second and looked past a moment later.

“But…why?"

Helen got no answer to that just his piercing, hard to endure, stare. She took a deep breath, facing opposite direction and took a needle with dental floss in two fingers, fearing that any more delay would make her too weak to continue. A quick dip in the bottle and she was almost ready.

“Here we go” she encouraged herself blankly and she pricked the needle in her arm with rapid thrust and painful howl.

 

After what seemed hours to Helen, her wound was clean and with stitches covered underneath bandage. Vault girl sat by her workplace on a floor, feeling completely exhausted by pain, tears and blood loss. At some point, she passed out for a minute or two during treatment, because when she gained consciousness there was a tiny puddle of her blood. But she made it and she was proud of her somewhat.

“Thanks” Helen was sure her voice was as weak as her legs by now.

The Ghoul nodded at her, gathering his own backpack from the floor. She never expected help from him, but it was invaluable. After the first puncture, she almost dropped her tiny tool as sharp pain drifted through half of her body and everything was showing that the second suture will never come. She would probably bleed out If not for the Ghoul. He grabbed both her hands in a firm grip, pinning her wounded arm to the surface by the wrist and holding the second one so the needle stayed in her grasp. He guided her hand to continue when Helen was taking a longer pause in between adding a new stitch. 

Exhaustion win over her after her little treatment and she sat by the cabinet at which were still lying are her things, Pip-Boy included. Allowing herself to rest, she took a short nap

Thirty minutes later she woke up and the sense of wasting time punched her hard as she was gaining some strength. She just left Megaton, it’s not right time to sleep. But the Ghoul where nowhere to be seen. She got out of the back room into the main one with all the shelves.

“Hello?” she yelled, hoping for an answer. Maybe he was roaming around the mall. There was no answer to that, so she took a 10mm gun from dead rider body, some ammo, and few parts to try to fix the gun or maybe find someone who will actually know what to do. Either way was good if it makes her sure that the gun won't let her down at the most crucial moment. With a heavy sigh and Pip-Boy back on her arm Helen opened the map and began navigating herself towards GNR once again.  

 

~~*~~*~~

 

Getting to the radio station wasn’t a walk in the park, but with aid from Brotherhood of Steel, it became bearable. It was nice to have a backup for a while, not being surrounded by enemies only. Surprisingly, Helen found out after ten or so shoot Super Mutants they become a lot easier to kill than riders, and her conscience was guilt free. Seeing them fight and gore bags lying around what was left from the school, she thought of them just as a mere beast, needing to be put down. Brotherhood of Steel members, with a bit lower morale caused by the death of one of their soldiers, let her inside the tower without issues to speak with that Three Dog guy. Brotherhood members were downbeat and weren’t paying much attention to Helen whatsoever, as she was climbing the stairs up.

She didn’t really know what to expect. From the radio, Three Dog sounded motivated and very lively, like some wind - up toy. She wasn’t able to imagine his look, but as he stood in front of her, Helen had to admit that somehow his voice fits perfectly to that characteristic goatee and shades. It was a mystery to the Vault girl why he wears sunglasses in the building but her thought was pushed aside when he spoke up, and oh boy, was he loud. 

I became clear to Helen that in the Westland nothing is for free, maybe besides bullet to the face. For everything else, you have to pay either with blood, caps or work. It saddened her that the last one is heavily connected to the “blood” part.

“So… to make it clear, you want me to go into a nest of super mutants, take some… metal garbage and put it at the top of Washington Monument?”

“To put it lightly, yes” DJ sat astraddle at one of the chairs, putting his arms on the backrest and looked at her anticipating her answer.

“I can just jump out of your window” Helen swung her arm angrily towards it. It is a suicide mission, how can he not see this?

“Listen, girlie, you can go out and look for you daddy by yourself. Just how exactly are you planning to avoid Super Mutants? Treat it as a training before sinking deep into Wastes loving grasps” Three Dog smiled at here and there was nothing mischievous hiding behind his shades. Chair wheels scratched the floor as the man stood up, heading in Helen’s direction.

“Training, my butt” she whispered, massaging her wounded arm. The damn dog almost got her killed, just wait as the Super Mutant swipe her head off her shoulder with a sledgehammer.

“If you have as much determination in you as your dad had when he showed up you will be fine” Three Dog rested his hand at her arm, giving it a light squeeze. Although Helen appreciated trying, she hadn’t feel encouraged.

“I will be back after all is done” she responded, gently removing his hand of her.

What could go wrong, right?


	7. Uninvited companion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to say, I try my best as always ;D 
> 
> Enjoy!

Even with Pip-Boy navigating herself to the Mall was more challenging than she anticipated. The map was slightly outdated due to collapsed buildings and blocked roads, but it was working surprisingly well in the former metro tunnels. Helen went down the stairs and moved the collapsible chain gate aside, heading to the metro station. The passage was dimly lit due to some still working lamps placed on the side walls. One of them, located on the left near the toiler entrance was flickering, making a crackling noise. Helen grabbed her gun tighter and moved towards the female bathroom.  The noise made by light was getting louder when she approached half broken open door and soon heavy breathing joined the sound, making all tiny hair on Helen’s neck stand upright. She lowered herself closer to the floor, inspecting insides of the toilet. A sight was still obscured from her so decided to move a little bit closer as she couldn’t lean at her right arm just to see slightly more of the interior. It was enough to finally notice a creature crouching with its back towards the Vault girl. The damaged skin on its body let her know that she was dealing with a ghoul.  Helen stood up and without making any sound she approached the ghoul and aim at his head.

“Stand up, slowly.” She ordered, adjusting her grip at the rifle. Ghoul took one last deep breath and turned his crooked face towards Helen. Now she was the one that gasped. Some old rags weren’t able to cover his whole body and the Vault girl could see gray veins under barely any thin as parchment skin. Loud screech brought her back to earth and she yanked the gun up as she unwittingly lowered it. Helen thought that looking like a living corpse creature would be slow, but he quickly proved her wrong. Not only he hadn’t lost any part of its body but he was livelily interested in Helen’s as he threw himself towards her. A bullet from Helen’s hunting rifle stuck in his arm, but ghouls seemed to not noticed it only swayed slightly to the right side, allowing Helen to dart next to him. The ghoul didn’t give up on his new prey and turned around facing the girl with a low growl. Helen jumped into one of the cabins, hiding from rushing ghoul. Sliding bolt had some spots of rust but did its job well when jumped on the place. Old green plastic doors endured force with which monster bounced off them.

After a brief pause low growl filled up ruined bathroom and Helen reload with shivering fingers. She was awaiting the zombie scratching the doors but it never happened. Thirty seconds felt like thirty minutes but the monster eventually made a move, crawling underneath the entrance like a nightmare from underneath the bed. He became wild again in the blink of an eye, flailing on the floor, crawling into bathroom cabin like his life depends on it. Helen stomped at his arm and crack of breaking bones answer to her force. Angry growl escaped his ruined throat as the monster swung his arm but she was faster, avoiding his thin arm she shot him twice into the head, just to be sure. Helen froze in place with finger still on the trigger. She made it. And she hadn’t hesitated. She just opened fire to this creature without any second thought and it made her shiver. Helen swallowed heavily. Her throat was dry that she felt like swallowing sand. She sat on the destroyed toilet bowl, overbore by her backpack which all of sudden gain ten more kilos and dragged her down.

“I want to go home” she scowled underneath her breath, hugging her rifle.

~~**~~**~~

Helen couldn’t tell how long it took her to get through the labyrinth of metro tunnels and find a way to the mall. However, she was sure that this expedition left her bruised, bloodied, sweaty and she used almost all her ammo. On the other hand, she found some loot including a new outfit as the previous suit from Moira got torn, caps and two pieces of small gun with some signs on it. 

Vaultie got out of the metro tunnels same way she got in, through chain gate this time at the Museum Station. She sat on the dead escalators, wiping of drops of sweat from her forehead. She swept lose a hair off her face with what was left of her strength. She desperately needed sleep, her eyelids were heavy as never before but series from the automatic gun hasn’t allowed her kept her eyes shut.

“Welcome to the Mall, tourist. You have a death wish?”

Helen automatically aimed to the side the voice was coming from.  Ghoul, again. But this one talked to her, not growled or screech. Patches of flaming red hair were covering her head, and she was watching Helen with amuse confirmed by the smile on her ruined lips.

“Careful there tourist. I ain’t the enemy, but you shouldn't stay there”

“How did you call me? Tourist? I am not a tourist…” Helen questioned, as she came up to face ghoulette.

“Come on! Here you are in the Mall of our nation's fine capital, taking in the sights, visiting the monuments!”

“If you say so” girl looked around her, unconvinced by sight of trenches covering the Mall.

Willow, as it was the ghoulette name led her to the city of Ghouls, the Underworld. To Helen, it sounded better than walking dead tired around this war zone located next to the Museum of History. She needed a break, feeling at least partially safe. But as she overstepped through the door, she felt like one of the exhibits. A bunch of ghouls was crossing the main hall of the museum and all of them slowed their pace when noticed her. She didn’t belong there, and the ghouls weren’t willing to prove her otherwise. But she was tired, her arm was hurting, and the museum was in the middle of the war zone and Helen thought to herself it would be unwise to go out there being hardly able to keep eyes open.

Helen almost dropped dead as she stopped breathing when one of the ghouls moved towards her. At first, Winthrop’s ironic greeting worried her but lately, he appeared more than helpful. He guided her to Tulip’s shop to ease her back’s, to Carol’s to rest and to the Ninth Circle to forget, whatever it could mean. Helen was surprised how well things were going for now, even when some drunk ghoul bumped into her with weak apologies. Tulip told her to not worry about the guy, and their conversation was going well until it became time to pay for her bartering. Few goods swapped their owners and now she owned Tulip twenty-seven caps Helen apparently didn’t have anymore. Sweat sprinkled her forehead when all of her bag content was thrown around her.

“Listen,“ Tulip began as she was looking at Helen from above, resting her arms at the counter. “Let’s say instead of three packets of ammo I will give you one, for free. As a gift to a new customer, how’s that?”  
“Wait. No” Helen stand up straight, dropping closed backpack next to the startled ghoulette. “That guy a moment ago?”

“You mean… Patchwork?”

“He stole my caps! I will be back, just wait” Helen darted back to the main hall, hoping to catch up to supposedly drunk ghoul. 

Once again she gained all the attention from the residents and whisper filled the hall, but Helen wasn’t focused enough to catch any words. She was eyeing the vicinity and as she came to the stairs, she finally spotted the man covered with rags the second floor. Helen got a breath, but he disappeared behind the double door before she was able to shout to him.

The vault girl barged to the unknown room a minute or so after Patchwork. Would be a some second earlier but Mister Gutsy, known as Cerberus, kept occupying the space, waving his robotic arms and sputtering something about how awesome ghouls are.

“Hey, Patchwork!” Helen strode to the man with an angry look on her face. As she came closer, she noticed an empty glass on the counter next to the five caps. She struggled so much to get here and earn some caps and this guy unceremoniously took it from her just to get himself drunker. The alcohol and her sudden appear got the poor ghoul tipsy enough he wasn’t able to hide a dirty purple pouch she used to keep her caps in. She swiped the little bag out of his hands, and hold it tightly ready for any reaction from the Patchwork, although he wasn’t able to do more than blink twice.

_Well done, idiot_ Helen congratulated herself, getting more and more annoyed. She was such an easy target, even a drunkard was able to rob her. _You’re not safe **anywhere** , when will you get that?!_”

“My, my Patchwork” a ghoul dressed in an old whiteish suit and a tie pick up five caps one by one. “What a company you get yourself there. Who is that cute smoothskin?”

“Drink Ahzrukhal…” drunk leaned on the counter. It took him a few long seconds to finish the sentence. “I… paid, get…”

“Yes, yes” the bartender didn’t ask anything more, just pour some more clear liquor into the glass.

Patchwork smiled like a child that gets a dreamed gift. That smiled was quickly wiped off his face when Helen with a swift move took away his drink and gulped it all at once. A burning sensation started to scratch her throat in the same moment she swallowed and immediately winced. Screeching “no!” got to her ears when she put back empty glass. Patchwork lunged at her with all his body weight however, Helen was able to almost completely avoid the impact. Almost, because just before falling down Patchwork was able to grab her right arm, ripping off bandages and sutures.

“Charon be so kind and show Patchwork the door,” said Ahzrukhal with a flat voice, inhaling loudly.

Helen sat on a barstool, clenching the hand at her forearm and direct her attention at the movement behind her. Seeing a familiar face somehow soothe her nerves. 

“You…” she began but swallowed the words when he sent her sharp as blade look while getting Patchwork up. Without the word, he headed towards the door just to leave drunkard behind them and then he stopped by the wall with his arms crossed like nothing ever happened. He was standing there like a statue although his eyes were directed towards Helen with a look of a silent challenge.

“Who is he?”  Helen turned towards Ahzrukhal, forgetting about numb pain in her arm.

“Who? You mean Charon? Let’s just say... well, he’s a loyal employee.”

“What do you mean?”

“I hold his contract, which makes me his employer. He will do what I ask when I ask, without question. You see, Charon grew up around a very interesting group of individuals. They... well, I guess you could say that they brainwashed him. He is absolutely loyal to whomever holds his contract. Unfailing, unflinching, until the day that employment ends.”

Helen looked behind her at the familiar ghoul and she couldn’t tell he was brainwashed. What she was sure was that he overheard their conversation and was unpleased by where it was heading.

“Don’t mess with me, and he won’t mess with you.”

“I wouldn’t dare…” she mumbled, without taking her eyes off Charon.  

“Smart smoothskin, aren’t ya?” Ahzrukhal chuckled. “Tell me, what brings you to the Underworld?” The ghoul reached towards her, taking a strand of her hair that slipped out of her braid and tucked it behind her ear, to get her full attention.

“I was trying to help Three Dog, he needs some kind of parts to his radio but first I need to rest a little” Helen didn’t hide her confusion caused by the ghoul’s behavior. The disturbing smile was lingering in the corners of his damaged lips.

“Three Dog hmm? How about you bring this part to me and I promise I will reward you better than him”

“How? Do you know where my father is?” Helen narrowed her eyes, moving slightly further away from Ahzrukhal.

“Are you certain he does?” he answered with a question, unexpectedly pleased with himself.

Vault girl had to admit he is partially right. She felt that Three Dog would have had zero problems to convince her even with a bluff to help him and she, in her desperation, was ready to believe almost every part of information. And apparently, she had a problem with keeping the info to herself.

“Sorry, I’m staying with Three Dog.”

“Well, too bad,” the bartender straightened himself up and shrug. “Charon I have a new task for you. You are going to accompany our new friend here, find out what she is going to collect for Three Dog and bring it to me”

“What…?” Helen thought her eyes will pop out of her skull. Ahzrukhal laughed and summoned Charon with a gesture.

 “But first take her to Doctor Barrows before she bleeds out on my floor” 

 

 

 

 


End file.
